Podcast on Integrating Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Perla Tovar) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:24:00 +0000

Click here to listen to two ideas for integrating technology into the classroom

Ideas for more uses of technology in the classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Perla Tovar) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Twenty Three Interesting Ways To Use Audio In

View more PowerPoint from Samantha Lunn

Active Boards and E-readers in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Perla Tovar) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Integrating Technology in the Classroom

There used to be a time in which people wrote letters, enclosed them in an envelope and mailed them to the destined person. Cell phones were huge bulky devices which served only one purpose, making and receiving phone calls. Computers weighed more than a child. Educators in today’s day struggle to match instruction to students’ needs. There is no question about why that is a struggle. Our student population is changing at a very rapid speed, due to the many rapid changes that are occurring in the technology world.

I was born in the 80s and portable Walkmans were the music craze in those days. Now, people are able to listen to music through an MP3player. This device stores a lot of songs/videos and eliminates the need for bulky tapes/CDs or the need to leave your home to purchase the music. Today we have e-readers. These devices allow for the reader to change the font size and spacing facilitating reading. When I was growing up, there was no such thing. I read from printed text on paper. Forget about changing the font. It came in a one-size-BETTER-fit-all. Our students are fortunate to have information delivered to them in seconds. They can even purchase music, shoes, clothes, etc. without ever having to leave their homes. However, the fact that information and goods can be sent and received at a rapid speed only creates students who enjoy receiving information at a rapid speed and through different methods.

In 2009, Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, Jennifer Groff and Jason Haas published the article, The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking Simulations, and how Teachers can Leverage Them. In this article the authors write:

Undoubtedly, without these recent technologies (i.e. digital games, Web 2.0, etc.) in the classroom, strong lessons can still be achieved, but there’s a sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two “worlds” more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain. (p.2)

There is a need to connect these two worlds for our students in the classroom. In order to make learning relevant we need to incorporate technology into our lessons. The following are two examples in which technology can be integrated into our classrooms to help unite the technology world (outside world) and the classroom world.

Active Boards

What is an Active Board? You might ask. In 2012 a writer from HowToDoThings.com defined this device in the article How to use an Active Board in the Classroom, in the following manner: “An active board is a large interactive presentation panel that connects to a computer and projector.” With this device students can interact with what is displayed. (There are also touch-screen boards which facilitate the interaction between the student and the board.) These boards come with “pens” as well. The stylus can be used like a mouse or like a pencil. Students can drag, click or write with this stylus. Through the use of an Active Board a spelling online game can be enjoyed by the entire class. Solving math problems on the Active Board could be a breeze since this board comes with a program that offers digital manipulatives i.e. dice, compass, ruler, counters etc.

Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Perla Tovar) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:31:00 +0000